Guanzhou-Tawau flights to boost tourist arrivals

KOTA KINABALU: The East Coast of Sabah can expect more tourists from China once a direct charter flight service from Guanzhou to Tawau takes off in July.

China-based DongFang International Travel Services Limited has announced that it plans to organise a one-year direct charter flight service from the southern Chinese city to Tawau until July next year.

Deputy Chief Minister cum Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the Ministry through Sabah Tourism Board (STB) had received a letter from the company regarding the matter.

She said Dongfang had submitted an application to Hainan Airlines for flight service approval, where a Boeing 737 aircraft with the capacity of 162 passengers per flight will fly twice a week.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Electrifying windows of opportunity in Sabah - The right policies, collaborations, and strategies can turn emerging opportunities into victories for all parties in Sabah.

CHIEF Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor’s 2021 Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya Plan and the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) have laid out a road map to an exciting future for all Sabahans, with a target of increasing Sabah’s income levels and GDP per capita from about RM 23,000 to about RM 40,000 by 2030.

“This is the first charter flight to Tawau and we are excited about it. It is timely as we are also going to launch the Cuti-Cuti Tawau programme.

“I have instructed STB to make sure our tourism packages and services are in place to accommodate a large number of tourist arrivals,” she told a news conference at her State Legislative Assembly office, here, Wednesday.

Liew said Tawau is a gateway to Sabah’s East Coast and should be promoted as an alternative entry point for tourists instead of flying via Kota Kinabalu.

She said the Ministry was also aggressively promoting Sandakan as an alternative gateway, adding she hoped the Guangzhou-Tawau direct flight would encourage other charter flight operators to initiate a similar service to Sandakan.

Liew said she would be leading a delegation to China, Turkey and Australia to further promote Sabah as a destination of choice.

Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.

Daily Express Malaysia

“We expect four million tourist arrivals this year and we hope to exceed the number.

“I don’t want to be over-ambitious but we hope to maintain the figure and, if possible, go above the target,” she added.

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00